Shaft-positioning mechanism for turbine-driven pumps



Sept. 6, 1955 R. H. GODDARD SHAFT-POSITIONING MECHANISM FOR TURBINE-DRIVEN PUMPS Original Filed June 11 Fig.3

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R m mm 7 BY B United States Patent SHAFT-POSITIONIN G MECHANISM- FOR TURBINE-DRIVEN PUMPS Robert H. Goddard, deceased, late of Annapolis, Md., by

Esther C. Goddard, executrix, Worcester, Mass., assignor of one-half to The Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 28, 1948, Serial No. 51,542, now Patent No. 2,616,373, dated November 4, 1952, which is a division of application Serial No. 598,755, June 11, 1945, now Patent No. 2,450,950, dated October 12, 1948. Divided and this application February 23, 1952, Serial No. 273,131

4 Claims. (Cl. 3089) This invention relates to shaft-positioning mechanism for turbine-driven pumps, and is a division of copending application Serial No. 51,542, filed on September 28, 1948, by Robert H. Goddard, now deceased. This earlier application issued November 4, 1952, as Patent No. 2,616,373 and was itself a division of application Serial No. 598,755, filed on June 11, 1945, now Patent No. 2,450,950, issued October 12, 1948.

The invention is applicable to auxiliary power devices in blast-propelled craft, and particularly discloses means for utilizing a portion of the rocket-propulsion blast to drive pumps for supplying combustion liquids to the propulsion chamber, together with auxiliary means to control the operation of said pumps.

In general, the turbine-pump combination herein shown is positioned for actuation by the external portion only of a rocket-motor blast, and comprises means for counterbalancing the forces on the turbine shaft as the blast pressure varies.

More specifically, an important feature of the invention relates to the provision of automatic counterbalancing means for the turbine shaft which is controlled by any axial displacement of the turbine shaft from normal running position.

These and other objects and advantages of the inven-' tion will be more clearly apparent from the following detailed descriptions of an illustrative embodiment of the invention, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a sectional elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation of a solenoidoperated valve to be described; and

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation of a blast-driven turbine, looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a turbine T is mounted on a shaft S and has blades 10 which are preferably curved and angularly disposed as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The blades 10 are so positioned that they are engaged by the outer portion only of the stream of combustion gases which issues from a combustion chamber C through a nozzle N. Such engagement of the turbine blades by the combustion gases causes the shaft S to be rapidly rotated, but the gases also tend to displace the shaft S axially and in the direction of the arrow a.

Pumps P and P2 are mounted concentric with the shaft S and have their impellers 11 and 12 secured to the shaft and rotated thereby. The shaft S is preferably mounted in self-adjusting bearings B and B2 and has limited axial movement therein.

At its upper end, as viewed in Fig. 1, an additional pump P3 is mounted concentric with the shaft S and with its impeller 14 secured to the shaft and rotatable therewith.

2,717,182 Patented Sept. 6, 1955 The outlet of the pump P3 is connected by a pipe to a solenoid-operated valve V, which in turn is connected by a pipe 22 to an annular recess 24. A flanged disc is-fast on the shaft S and is positioned so that its flanged portion 30a rotates in the annular recess 24.

A leakage groove 32 below the flange 30 is connected by a'passage 33'to a leakage groove 34 above the flange 30, and the groove 34 is in turn connected by a passage 36' and'pipe 37 to the intake connection 40 of the pump The details of construction of the solenoid-operated valve V are clearly shown in Fig. 2, in which a movable valve member is provided with a cross-port 51 and is slidable transversely with respect to the pipes 20 and 22 previously described.

The member 50 is operated by a solenoid plunger 54 having non-metallic end portions 55 and slidable within solenoid coils Cl and C2. The adjacent ends of the solenoids C1 and C2 are connected through a battery 57 to a pivoted contact member 58 shiftable between contact points 60 and 61. The contact point 60 is connected by a wire 62 to the outer end of the solenoid C1, and the contact point 61 is similarly connected by a wire 64 to the outer end of the solenoid C2.

The forked end of the pivoted contact member 58 embraces a circular flange fast on the shaft S. As the solenoids C1 and C2 are alternately energized, the valve member 50 of the valve V is shifted to proportionately open or close the port connecting the pipe 20 and the pipe 22.

The operation of the device is as follows:

If the force of the blast from the combustion chamber C is increased, the pump shaft S will tend to shift downward or in the direction of the arrow a in Fig. 1. As the pump shaft is thus shifted downward, a circuit is closed through the wire 64 and solenoid C2 to shift the valve V in such a direction as to increase the flow through the pipe 22 to the annular recess 24, thus overcoming the leakage and increasing the pressure on the flanged disc 30 to proportionately shift the shaft S upward.

If, on the other hand, the axial pressure on the turbine T and shaft S drops below normal, the shaft may be shifted upward, thus closing the circuit through the contact 60 and wire 62 to the outer end of the solenoid C1. This causes the valve member 50 in the valve V to be moved to the left in Fig. 2, with proportionate closing of the connection between the pipes 20 and 22.

The leakage capacity to the intake 40 through the pipe 37 then exceeds the flow in the pipe 22 at the reduced pressure in the pipe 22, so that no pressure will be maintained in the recess 24 and the pipe S will return downward to its original or normal running position.

The direct intake pressures in the grooves 32 and 34 are in opposite directions and are thus largely cancelled out. Consequently, the proper clearances are maintained for the impellers 11 and 12 in the pumps P and P2, and satisfactory working of the pumping apparatus is assured.

Having thus described the invention and the advantages thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for restoring and maintaning a predetermined axial position of a rotated shaft comprising a rotor fixed on a rotated shaft, a separate and first pressure chamber at the upper side of said rotor, and a separate second pressure chamber at the lower side of said rotor, each of said chambers being substantially enclosed at one side by said rotor, a restricted passage between said chambers, an additional restricted discharge port for said first and upper chamber, a pipe to supply liquid under pressure to the second and lower chamber, a valve in said liquid supply on an axial displacement of said shaft in either direction, whereby the initial axial position of said shaft is restored and maintained.

. 2. The combination in shaft-positioning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which the valve is normally set to supply just enough liquid to offset the leakage through said restricted passage and port.

3. The combination in shaft-positioning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which the valve is normally set to supply just enough liquid to offset the leakage through said restricted passage and port, and in which a conne tion isprovided to return all leakage to the source of liquid supply for said second and lower chamber.

4. The combination in shaft-positioning apparatus as set forth in claim 3, in which a pump is provided between said leakage connection and the pipe and valve through which liquid under pressure is supplied to said second and lower chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 864,821 Zoelly Sept. 3, 1907 971,849 Krogh et al. Oct. 4, 1910 1,146,078 Krogh July 13, 1915 1,590,778 Schein June 29, 1926 2,042,533 Kieser June 2, 1936 

